Granite, Iowa — A tract of land along the Big Sioux River near Granite is on the road to becoming part of a first-of-its kind two-state, state park.
The Iowa DNR has scheduled two public meetings Wednesday, September 23rd and Thursday, September 24th to provide information to and gather input from the public on the Good Earth at Blood Run cultural landscape master plan.
The Blood Run National Historic Landmark is located in Lyon County and encompasses a culturally-significant landscape, providing links to the people and traditions associated with the past use of the site. This area between the Big Sioux River and Blood Run Creek was home to the Oneota people between 1300 and 1720 AD and later the Prairie Sioux. The area will eventually be part of Good Earth State Park complex, a first-of-its-kind state park shared between South Dakota and Iowa.
The Wednesday meeting will be held in an open house format from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa. Project materials will be on display and project team members will be on hand to answer questions and listen to comments from the public.
The Thursday meeting will be held from 10:00 AM to 4:15 PM at the same location. This day-long workshop will include a formal presentation of background information and key points of the Good Earth at Blood Run project in Iowa. The facilitated workshop will focus on project goals and guiding principles using input from the public. A one-hour lunch break will be available between noon and 1:00 PM.
Todd Coffelt, Iowa DNR State Parks Bureau chief says that they hope to have a good number of people taking advantage of this opportunity to learn more about this undertaking and provide input on the project. He says it’s an Iowa treasure and the DNR needs to know Iowans’ thoughts on how best to showcase it.
More information about the Good Earth at Blood Run project visit www.goodearthbloodrun.com
